The class of 24 reigned “at the top of the school food chain” in eighth grade when schools shut down due to COVID-19 in March of 2020. Now, as they enter their senior year, again at the summit of the school hierarchy, a new strand of COVID is rearing its ugly head. This new strand goes by a new name— BA.2.86— or Pirola. 

According to Yale Medicine, Pirola was first detected in Denmark in July, then migrated to the U.S. in August. While researchers have found that current measures have worked to treat symptoms, the new strand seems to affect those who have already been exposed to the original virus and its various strands, which means just because you’ve already had COVID doesn’t mean you’re immune to this strand. 

While it exhibits the same symptoms as the COVID-19 you’re used to, the main issue researchers are fearful of is the amount of mutations this strand has undergone. Traditionally, respiratory diseases like COVID do mutate over time, but the sheer amount of changes to its chemistry have made it able to bypass the antibodies from past infections, and possibly even vaccines. A similar phenomenon happened in the shift from Delta to Omicron, the last strand that researchers were concerned about.

Scientists aren’t the only ones nervous about another outbreak. 

“I do not want [Covid] to happen again,” said senior Tatijana Copeland. “Compared to other years, I feel like I’m actually understanding high school.” 

This is a common fear among students. Now that we are back to a steady sense of “normal,” Covid is showing itself again. However, not everyone is concerned about the severity of another outbreak. 

“We’ve all been through it before,” said social studies teacher Jennifer Mechling. “I think we could transition fairly quickly if we needed to.” 

This is also a common sentiment as we have seen strands pop up multiple times in the past, and there has yet to be a lockdown on a scale as big as the first.

“My biggest concern is that people have gotten lazy about mitigation practices, like social distancing and handwashing,” said Mechling. “I think we could go back to masks without much problem, although I really don’t want to! Teaching with masks was the worst.” 

An additional concern is how another lockdown might affect students’ social development. 

“I didn’t want to talk to anyone [during the first lockdown], and even now my social battery drains a lot [faster],” said Copeland.

Mechling shared a similar sentiment from a teacher’s perspective. 

“After Covid, it just seems like it has become easier to be disconnected from people,” said Mechling. “Yes, kids are socializing again at school, but not [in] the way it was before. Some people have become more comfortable being isolated.”

While Pirola is not as concerning as the original virus was, it is something to keep an eye on. But as long as you wash your hands and minimize the potential spread, we can keep the virus at bay and keep ourselves in school.